Campania
Campania is a region of Italy with very good pastures and meadows, which made it much desired by the Romans. Before the Roman republic took over (in about the 4th century BC), Campania was settled mostly by Greeks. So the original language of the area was Greek, although it later switched over to Latin in everywhere but Naples, which never officially adopted Latin as its language. When Mt. Vesuvius errupted, Campania was affected.
Samnium
Samnium was home of the Samnites. They warred with the Romans and were one of the last groups to hold out against them before falling in the Social War. They were eventually destroyed by the Romans. This mountainous region was landlocked for the majority of its history but did include coastline for short periods. The spoken language was Sabellic, more specifically, Osca. The Samnites were known to be dedicated and courageous warriors. At the age of 20, Samnites were forced to leave their native land and set out in search of a new home.
Picenum
Picenum is mountanious and is located in ther Adriated Coastal Plain. It is surrounded by Umbria, Samnium and Apulia. The group of people who lived there were the Piceni's and they spoke the Oscan language.
When the city was captured by the Romans nany of the coastline settlements were destroyed. But the people of Picenum sided with the Romans in the war against Hannibal. Picenum was also used as a base during the social wars
Umbria
Umbria is a region of central Italy bordered by Tuscany, Marche, and Lazio. It is mostly hilly or mountanious. The Apennines exist to the the east and the Tiber Valley basin is in the west. It is divided into two provinces: Perugia and Terni. Umbria's agriculture produces olives, grapes, wheat, and tobacco.
Umbria is named for the Umbri tribe who existed in protohistoric times (6 century BC). They spoke the language Umbrian, a relative of Latin and Oscan. Their chief enemies were the Etruscans. They attempted to aid the Samnites against Rome in 308 BC but without much affect because Rome conquered. The Umbri people were gradually subjugated by the Romans in the 4th through 2nd centuries BC.
Umbria in the Roman and medieval times served as a military highway into and out of the city. When the Roman empire collapsed, Umbria became a strategic battleground fought over by the Church, Lombards, and Byzantines.
Apulia
Calabria/Brutii
Clalbria is located at the "toe" of Italy.between the Adriatic Sea and the Gulf of Tarentum, ending in the Iapygian promontory. Calabria was first settled by Italic Oscan-speaking tribes. Two of these tribes included the Oenotri (roughly translated into the "vine-cultivators") and the Itali. Greek contact with the latter resulted in the entire peninsula (modern Italy) taking the name of the tribe. Greeks settled heavily along the coast at an early date and several of their settlements, including the first Italian city called Rhegion (Reggio Calabria), and the next ones Sybaris, Kroton (Crotone), and Locri, were numbered among the leading cities of Magna Graecia during the 6th and 5th centuries BC. Conquered by the Romans in the 3rd century BC, the region never regained its former prosperity. The Bruttii were an ancient Italic people who inhabited the southern extremity of Italy, from the frontiers of Lucania to the Sicilian Straits and the promontory of Leucopetra, roughly corresponding to modern Calabria.
Sicily
Sicily currently has five million inhabitants. It is also the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily was once its own country as the Kingdom of Sicily, ruled from Palermo. The original inhabitants of Sicily were three defined groups of the Ancient Peoples of Italy. The most prominent and by far the earliest of which was the Sicani, who according to Thucydides arrived from the Iberian Peninsula, at around 8000 B.C.E. About 750 B.C.E., the Greeks began to colonize Sicily. The most important colony was Syracuse (other significant ones were Akragas, Gela, Himera, Selinute, and Zancle). there were a few Carthaginian colonies in the far west of the island. When the two cultures began to clash, the Sicillian Wars erupted. Greece began to make peace with the Roman Republic in 262 BC and the Romans sought to annex Sicily as its empire's first province. Rome intervened in the First Punic War, crushing Carthage so that by 242 BC Sicily had become the first Roman province outside of the Italian Peninsula. Sicily became part of the Kingdom Of Italy in 1860. The Mafia grew in influence in the late 19th century; the Fascist regime began suppressing them in the 1920s with succes. There was an allied invasion of Italy during World War II starting on July 10, 1943. Sicily is now part of the republic and the regional language is Italian. The early Roman name for Sicily was Trinacria, alluding to its triangular shape. Sicily has been noted for two milennia as a grain producing territory, along with oranges, lemons, olives, oliv oil, and wine.
Rivers
Much of Italy is mountainous, therefore, much of Roman era Italy was for the most part isolated. One of the most well known Italian mountain ranges is the Dolomites. The Dolomites span across northern Italy, the Dolomites are a part of the Alps. Another well known mountain range is the Apennines mountain range spans north to south, splitting Italy in half, east side and west side.
Neighbors
Italy was neighbored by the following regions: Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Illyria, and Carthage
War with the Gauls:
Samnite War:
Pyrrhic War:
1st Punic War:
2nd Punic War:
3rd Punic War:
Illyrian Wars:
1st Macedonian War:
2nd Macedonian War:
3rd Macedonian War:
4th Macedonian War:
Roman-Syrian War:
Servile War:
Roman Law - Units D.1-D.2
Kings of Rome - Unit C.2-C.3
:
Greek influence on Romans - Unit C.1
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dcdvfwkc_932t3sgdp
Etruscans - Unit B
Regions of Ancient Italy - Unit A
Map of the regions of Italy © Clipart.com
The black area is Latium where Rome is located.
- Etruria
- Liguria
- Cisalpine Gaul
- Venetia
- Umbria
- Picenum
- Sabini
- Marsi
- Frentani
- Samnium
- Luceria
- Campania
- Lucania
- Apulia
- Calabria
BrutiumRegions of Ancient Italy
Latium
Campania
Campania is a region of Italy with very good pastures and meadows, which made it much desired by the Romans. Before the Roman republic took over (in about the 4th century BC), Campania was settled mostly by Greeks. So the original language of the area was Greek, although it later switched over to Latin in everywhere but Naples, which never officially adopted Latin as its language. When Mt. Vesuvius errupted, Campania was affected.
Samnium
Samnium was home of the Samnites. They warred with the Romans and were one of the last groups to hold out against them before falling in the Social War. They were eventually destroyed by the Romans. This mountainous region was landlocked for the majority of its history but did include coastline for short periods. The spoken language was Sabellic, more specifically, Osca. The Samnites were known to be dedicated and courageous warriors. At the age of 20, Samnites were forced to leave their native land and set out in search of a new home.
Picenum
Picenum is mountanious and is located in ther Adriated Coastal Plain. It is surrounded by Umbria, Samnium and Apulia. The group of people who lived there were the Piceni's and they spoke the Oscan language.
When the city was captured by the Romans nany of the coastline settlements were destroyed. But the people of Picenum sided with the Romans in the war against Hannibal. Picenum was also used as a base during the social wars
Umbria
Umbria is a region of central Italy bordered by Tuscany, Marche, and Lazio. It is mostly hilly or mountanious. The Apennines exist to the the east and the Tiber Valley basin is in the west. It is divided into two provinces: Perugia and Terni. Umbria's agriculture produces olives, grapes, wheat, and tobacco.
Umbria is named for the Umbri tribe who existed in protohistoric times (6 century BC). They spoke the language Umbrian, a relative of Latin and Oscan. Their chief enemies were the Etruscans. They attempted to aid the Samnites against Rome in 308 BC but without much affect because Rome conquered. The Umbri people were gradually subjugated by the Romans in the 4th through 2nd centuries BC.
Umbria in the Roman and medieval times served as a military highway into and out of the city. When the Roman empire collapsed, Umbria became a strategic battleground fought over by the Church, Lombards, and Byzantines.
Apulia
Calabria/Brutii
Clalbria is located at the "toe" of Italy.between the Adriatic Sea and the Gulf of Tarentum, ending in the Iapygian promontory. Calabria was first settled by Italic Oscan-speaking tribes. Two of these tribes included the Oenotri (roughly translated into the "vine-cultivators") and the Itali. Greek contact with the latter resulted in the entire peninsula (modern Italy) taking the name of the tribe. Greeks settled heavily along the coast at an early date and several of their settlements, including the first Italian city called Rhegion (Reggio Calabria), and the next ones Sybaris, Kroton (Crotone), and Locri, were numbered among the leading cities of Magna Graecia during the 6th and 5th centuries BC. Conquered by the Romans in the 3rd century BC, the region never regained its former prosperity. The Bruttii were an ancient Italic people who inhabited the southern extremity of Italy, from the frontiers of Lucania to the Sicilian Straits and the promontory of Leucopetra, roughly corresponding to modern Calabria.
Sicily
Sicily currently has five million inhabitants. It is also the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily was once its own country as the Kingdom of Sicily, ruled from Palermo. The original inhabitants of Sicily were three defined groups of the Ancient Peoples of Italy. The most prominent and by far the earliest of which was the Sicani, who according to Thucydides arrived from the Iberian Peninsula, at around 8000 B.C.E. About 750 B.C.E., the Greeks began to colonize Sicily. The most important colony was Syracuse (other significant ones were Akragas, Gela, Himera, Selinute, and Zancle). there were a few Carthaginian colonies in the far west of the island. When the two cultures began to clash, the Sicillian Wars erupted. Greece began to make peace with the Roman Republic in 262 BC and the Romans sought to annex Sicily as its empire's first province. Rome intervened in the First Punic War, crushing Carthage so that by 242 BC Sicily had become the first Roman province outside of the Italian Peninsula. Sicily became part of the Kingdom Of Italy in 1860. The Mafia grew in influence in the late 19th century; the Fascist regime began suppressing them in the 1920s with succes. There was an allied invasion of Italy during World War II starting on July 10, 1943. Sicily is now part of the republic and the regional language is Italian. The early Roman name for Sicily was Trinacria, alluding to its triangular shape. Sicily has been noted for two milennia as a grain producing territory, along with oranges, lemons, olives, oliv oil, and wine.
Rivers
Much of Italy is mountainous, therefore, much of Roman era Italy was for the most part isolated. One of the most well known Italian mountain ranges is the Dolomites. The Dolomites span across northern Italy, the Dolomites are a part of the Alps. Another well known mountain range is the Apennines mountain range spans north to south, splitting Italy in half, east side and west side.
Neighbors
Italy was neighbored by the following regions: Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Illyria, and Carthage